Vending-machine.



0. STOLTZE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.H,1910.

1,020,667, Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

jigg-BHBET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPII $0., WASHINGTON. u. c.

0. STOLTZE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8,1910. 1,020,667, Patented Mar. 19,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIII cu.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSKAR- STOLTZE, 0F ALTONA, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO OTTO FRIEDRICH CHRISTIAN GOSCH, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

VENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSKAR STOLTZE, mechanician, a subject of the German Emperor, and resident of No. 8 Georgst-rasse, Altona, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to a Vending-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic selling machine for post-cards, letter-cards, note paper with or without envelops and the like, and chiefly consists of a series of bars suspended on mandrels, each two bars takmg up between them a post-card, a letter-card or the like and being singly released by a part operated by the coin introduced, and falling down so that a post-card, a lettercard or a sheet of note paper, with or without an envelop, are released and can fall out from the machine.

The new automatic selling machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, Fig. 2 a side elevation, partly in section, and Fig. 3 a cross-section on line A-B of Fig. 1. Figs. 48 are detail views drawn to full size. Figs. 4, 7 and 8 are front elevations of a single device in three different positions, while Fig. 5 is a plan and Fig. 6 a side elevation of Fig. 4.

The whole mechanism is mounted on a frame inserted into a casing. The casing comprises a back wall a, two lateral walls I) and c with wings b and c pivoted to the walls by means of hinges b and 0 the cover (Z, the two bottoms e and f between which are arranged the cash box 9 and the trough h taking up the articles sold, as well as a door 2' connected to the wing c by means of hinges i and provided with windows 7c and slotted plates Z. The frame which is taken up by the box or casing in question, consists of two frames m, two plates 71 and two bars 0. Both the frame m and the plates 17. are riveted or screwed to the said bars 0. The frame takes up any desired number of similar devices which can be grouped in any desired manner. In the construction illustrated, there are for instance ten devices in two adjoining series of five devices each. One of these devices will be now described: To the plate a are secured two pins or mandrels 3 intended to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 8, 1910.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 591,338.

receive the gravity plates or bars 4 between which are held the post-cards The mandrels 3 are inclined forward, so that the bars 4 slide owing to gravity against a pin (3 secured to the outer mandrel 3 as well as: against a disk 7 secured to a rotatable spindle l1. Immediately in front of the pin 6 or of the disk 7, the mandrels 3 are bent downward and backward (Fig. (i). The bottom ends of the two mandrels 3 are connected together by means of a wire 8 or the like.

The bars 4 having preferably rearwardly extending teats 4 are provided with holes 9, and the said holes with recesses 10 by means of which the bars 4 are suspended to the mandrels 3. The recesses 10 of the holes 9 have some play on the mandrels 3 while each hole 9 is considerably larger than the diameter of a mandrel 3 in order that the front or foremost bar 4 should be able to fall down freely past the pin 6 and the disk 7 when it has been shifted by a controlling part to such an extent that the holes 9 have taken up the mandrels The controlling part consists of a cam 12 which is secured next to the disk 7 to the spindle 11 rotatably mounted in the bearings 13 and 14. On the spindle 11 is mounted an arm 15 provided with a loop 16, and an arm 17 carrying a weight 18. The weight 18 keeps the arm 15 in the position shown in Fig. 4, in which an angle arm 7 connected to the disk 7, rests against a mandrel 19 which is also secured to the plate n, has the same inclination forward as the upper portions of the mandrels 3 and is arranged parallel to the same, and forms a safety device for the bars 4.

Each bar 4 is recessed next to its inner end so that an inward pin 20 is formed. These pins 20 engage over the backward end of the angular arm 7 of the disk 7, so that the bars 4 cannot be shifted. Only the foremost bar 4 resting against the pin 6 and the disk 7 can be moved past the mandrel 19, which takes place after the introduction of a coin 30 (Fig. 2) which falls into the loop 16 of the arm 15 and overcomes the weight 18 on the arm 17, so that the spindle .11 rotates, and the cam disk 12 acts on the pin 20 or a projection 21 of the same. The foremost bar 4 is moved into the position shown in Fig. 7, so that it can fall down past the pins 6 and the disk 12 over the mandrels 3 on to the wire 8 or on to the already released bars 4. The picture post-card, the letter-card or the like is thus released and falls along the guide surfaces arranged on the inside of the door into the trough h from which the purchaser can remove it. Above the mandrel 19 there is secured to the plate a pin 22 forming a stop f for the post-cards, letter-cards and the like placed between the bars 4 an arm 5 of plate 1 that extends over the cards, holding them in an inclined position.

The rearmost or last bar 4, the so-called closing bar (Figs. 5, 6 and 8) is of special construction and has for its object to stop the single device when, after the release of the last bar but one, the post-card held between the latter and the closing bar has been released and fallen down. At that moment a hook 23 arranged on the closing bar 4, engages with'ahole 24. of the cam disk, so that the arm 15 cannot swing back into the position shown in Fig. 4, but is held in the posit-ion shown in Fig. 8.

On the front side of the closing bar 4 are provided projections or ribs 25 which hold the closing bar, in accordance with the shape of the hook 23, at a sufficient distance from the last but one bar 4-, in order to avoid a premature stopping of the cam disk 12. The closing bar 1 is, moreover, weighted, namely by means of a weight 26 (Figs. 5, 6 and 8) secured to the bottom portion on its back, having for its object to hold the bars 4: as well as the cards 5 etc. held between them, in the vertical position. The weight 26 closes the outer hole 9 of the closing bar 4; and thus prevents the latter from being shifted.

The lateral walls of the casing consisting of the two parts 7) b and c 0 connected together by means of hinges b and 0 are used,

for securing the front portions 27 of the coin chute, the back portions 28 of which are secured to-the shafts 29. The latter are held between angle irons 31 and 32 secured to the bars 0 and are provided with hopper-like projections 33 on their sides facing the frame m. hen the arms 15 take up the position shown in Fig. 41, their loops 16 are situated above the said hopper-like projections 33. The loops 16 are of such size that they can take up only coins of given size for instance, penny coins, any smaller coins will fall through the loop 16 into the hopper 33 arranged below from which they fall into the shaft 29 and through the projection 29 of the same, facing forward, into the trough it, that is to say, they are returned to the purchasers. The front portions of the coin chutes or coin introducing conduits 27 28 project into the back portions 28 of the same secured to the shafts 29,,the said back portions being widened like a funnel (Fig.

if desired. lVith their front ends, the said front portions 27 of the coin-chute reach close to the slotted plates 1 inserted into the bar 2'. Between the two frames is arranged a further shaft 10 provided on its right and left outer walls with funnel shaped projections 11 and opening into a cash box consisting of a receiver arranged between the bottoms c and f and secured by locking or in some other manner. If a proper coin 30, for instance a penny, is introduced into a coin chute 27, 28, it will fall into the loop 16 of the arm 15 whereby the latter will become so much heavier that it will sink, in opposition to the action of the weight 18, into the position shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 1 (chain dotted) in the left hand bottom corner. The coin 3O strikes then above one of the funnel shaped projections 41 the lateral wall of the shaft 40 and falls therefore out of the loop 16 into the funnel 11 and through the shaft 4E0 into the cash-box g. The arm 15 swings then under the influence of the weight 18 back into the position shown in Fig. 1 at the bottom on the right hand side, and in Fig. 41. During the descent of the arm 15, the foremost bar 4E will be shifted in the manner prescribed by the cam disk 12 secured to the spindle 11 which will then be rotated, so that the said bar acan fall down from the upper ends of the mandrels 3 past the pins 6 and the disk 7 secured to the spindle 11, on to the wire 8 connecting the bottom ends of the mandrels 4, and the articles held by the said bar and the next following bar 4, will be released and will also fall down. It falls into one of the funnels 45 arranged below the mandrels 4 which funnels 45 are connected to the shaft 4L6 suspended to the inner side of the door 2' and opening into the bottom portion of the casing receiving the cash-box g and the trough it. From the shaft 16 the article sold arrives into the trough 71 under the same, from which the purchaser can remove it.

hat I claim is:

1. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, gravity plates movable along said pins, means for locking the plates to the pins, and means for sliding the plates at right, angles to the pins, whereby the plates become unlocked and descend along the pins by gravity.

2. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, gravity plates having recessed apertures adapted to receive the pins, and means for sliding said plates at right angles to the pins.

3. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, gravity plates having apertures adapted to receive the pins, stops engaging the fore most plate, a movable member adapted to slide said plate at right angles to the pins, and means for actuating said member.

4. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, apertured gravity plates mounted upon the pins, stops engaging the foremost plate, a cam likewise engaging said plate and adapted to slide the same at right angles to the pins, and a weighted lever operatively connected to the earn.

5. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, apertured gravity plates mounted upon said pins, stops engaging the foremost plate, a movable member likewise engaging said plate, a lever operatively connected to the movable member, and means on the rearmost plate for locking said member.

6. A vending machine comprising a pair of pins having downwardly inclined ends, apertured gravity plates mounted upon said pins, stops engaging the foremost plate, an apertured cam likewise engaging said plate, a lever operatively connected to the cam, and a catch on the rearmost plate adapted to engage the cam-aperture.

Signed by me at Hamburg, Germany, this 24 day of June 1910.

OSKAR STOLTZE.

Witnesses F. JULIUS PO'lI-IS, Ennns'r H. L. lHUMMENI-IOFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

